He Wouldn't Claim Me — Another Man Did-Chapter 91 - 81: Family Heirloom (Part 2)
One user commented: "Arms outstretched like a swan’s graceful neck, skirts unfurling like a night-blooming cereus for a fleeting moment. Both dancers are so light, it’s as if they could trace ripples on the water’s surface with their toes."
This comment received over fifty thousand likes.
After that, users went on a frantic deep dive.
Users dug up and pored over all of Isla Prescott and Annabelle Leighton’s previous dance videos. The two were already blessed with stunning looks and a solid dance foundation. That, combined with their accumulated body of work which was both technically impressive and profound, made them immediately stand out from the noisy tide of viral trends.
Users praised their video content for being completely different from the cookie-cutter "viral hits" pushed by algorithms. Their works were like handwritten letters; every stroke and every word carried warmth and sincerity.
After they went viral, collaboration offers from advertisers came pouring in, and the studio’s dance class slots were instantly filled. Everyone was swamped for a solid month before they finally had a chance to breathe.
The studio’s profits grew explosively, advancing with unstoppable momentum.
It happened to be New Year’s Day, so Isla Prescott and Annabelle Leighton decided to give everyone on their studio team a raise. They also wanted to treat them to a nice meal to reward them for their recent hard work and encourage them to keep up the great effort in the new year.
Everyone was incredibly excited. Just deciding on a restaurant took them a whole day.
In the end, they decided to go to the Lakeside Restaurant to experience its high-end conceptual cuisine, which cost 1,800 per person.
"One thousand eight hundred per person. You guys really know how to pick a restaurant," Annabelle Leighton teased. "Since you’re not the ones paying, you sure are generous when the boss is treating, huh."
"Of course," Kiki Ford laughed. "When would we ever be able to afford a restaurant that costs 1,800 a head on our own salaries?"
"Let me just remind you, the more expensive the restaurant, the more likely you are to leave hungry."
"If we’re still hungry, we can just grab a family bucket to-go on the way home."
"Alright, you got it."
The group went to the restaurant in high spirits, but it turned out just as Annabelle Leighton had predicted. Every dish at this restaurant was gorgeous and photogenic, the names were incredibly poetic, and the service was amazing at making you feel special. The only thing was, the portion sizes were embarrassingly small.
Fortunately, everyone had a good attitude about it; their main goal was just to say they’d tried it.
At the end of the meal, Isla Prescott went to pay the bill and unexpectedly ran into Silas Lockwood.
She hadn’t seen Silas Lockwood in a long time.
Silas Lockwood was just coming in from outside, the shoulders of his overcoat still carrying the chill of the evening air.
When he saw her, the gleaming tips of his shoes beneath his trouser cuffs quickly turned in her direction, and he walked straight toward her without hesitation.
"Isabelle. How have you been?" his tone was restrained and polite.
"I’m doing well," Isla Prescott said.
"I saw your studio’s work went viral a while ago. Congratulations."
"Thank you."
Isla Prescott didn’t dwell on the fact that he’d been keeping up with her work. She simply gave him a slight nod to say goodbye.
Silas Lockwood stepped aside to let her pass. As the cuff of his overcoat brushed against her jacket, Isla Prescott instinctively tried to move away from the close contact, but he suddenly lifted his elbow and blocked her way.
"Are you and Sean doing okay?"
Isla Prescott didn’t believe Silas Lockwood was merely concerned about her relationship with Shane Sterling. She glanced back at him cautiously. "We’re doing great."
"Is that so? Then why have I heard that the Sterling and Quincy families are renewing their marriage alliance?"
--
On the way back, Isla Prescott’s mind was consumed by Silas Lockwood’s words: ’the Sterling and Quincy families are renewing their marriage alliance.’ Although Silas Lockwood’s love for her was unrequited, he probably wouldn’t stoop to telling a lie that could be debunked with a single question.
’He must have heard some rumor.’ 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶
Isla Prescott thought back on her time with Shane Sterling recently. It was true they hadn’t seen each other in several days. Last week, Shane Sterling had gone to Varden on a business trip, and she had been working overtime at the studio every day. They had even video-called less often. Both were exhausted from work, and with the time difference, each was afraid of disturbing the other’s rest.
"Isabelle, what’s wrong? You suddenly seem distracted," Annabelle Leighton asked her.
"It’s nothing."
"It’s New Year’s Day. Is Shane Sterling back yet?"
"Not yet."
"He’s such a workaholic."
Isla Prescott pressed her lips together, silent. ’Is he really just a workaholic, or is he dealing with something else?’
Despite her best efforts to control her emotions, she couldn’t stop the awful thoughts from slowly taking root.
It was a little after ten by the time she got back to her apartment complex.
In the elevator, Isla Prescott debated whether to call Shane Sterling. But when she got home and turned on the lights, she saw the man who was supposed to be on the other side of the planet, fast asleep on the sofa, still fully dressed.
The sudden light woke Shane Sterling. He instinctively raised an arm to shield his eyes, then sat up after a few moments. His usually neat, side-parted hair was now a sleepy, tousled mess, looking soft and making him appear slightly dazed—a sight that could melt anyone’s heart.
For Isla Prescott, the myriad suspicions in her mind were no match for the joy of seeing him again after their time apart.
"Why did you come back without saying anything?" Isla Prescott asked, setting down her bag and walking around to face Shane Sterling. "And you didn’t even turn on the lights."
Shane Sterling stood up and wrapped her in his arms.
"I wanted to surprise you, but I didn’t expect Mr. Prescott to have such a rich nightlife while I was away."
"We had a studio dinner tonight," Isla Prescott said, looking up at him from his embrace. "What time did you get back?"
"Got home at eight-thirty."
"That was two hours ago! Why didn’t you call me?"
"What kind of surprise would it be if I called you?" He pulled a vintage-style box from his overcoat pocket. "Here. New Year’s gift. Happy New Year’s Day."
Isla Prescott opened the box. Inside was a jade bangle.
She suddenly remembered a top-voted comment under one of her traditional-style dance videos: "A pair of wrists as fair as jade like these could only be done justice by a family heirloom of jade."
"I don’t have a family heirloom, but I searched far and wide to find this bangle," Shane Sterling said as he slid it onto Isla Prescott’s wrist. "You can wear it for now. In the future, it can be a family heirloom for our children."
"You saw that comment?"
"I did. I was struggling with what to get you for New Year’s, and it turns out your fans have some great ideas."
Isla Prescott felt the weight of it on her wrist. She didn’t know much about jade, but looking at its quality, and hearing Shane Sterling’s words about it being "a family heirloom for our children," she guessed the bangle must be incredibly valuable.
"This bangle was very expensive, wasn’t it?" Isla Prescott asked.
"Asking about the price right after receiving a gift—what planet did you learn your social etiquette on?"
"I’m asking so I can decide whether or not to accept it."
"You’re not allowed to refuse," he said, squeezing her hand. "This is our family’s heirloom now. If you don’t want it, are you saying you want me to go and start a family with someone else?"
The topic had coincidentally circled back to this. Isla Prescott couldn’t resist and took the opportunity to ask, "Would you?"
Seeing her furrowed brow and the seriousness of her question, Shane Sterling chuckled. "What crazy things are you thinking about?"
As soon as he spoke, he leaned in to kiss her, his hands getting straight to business.
Isla Prescott had missed him too, of course. His lightest touch was enough to make her slick with desire.
Just as the two were about to get lost in each other, Shane Sterling’s phone suddenly rang.
Shane Sterling had no intention of answering. He pulled out his phone to silence it but caught sight of the caller ID: "Mom."
It was his mother, Audrey Hughes, calling.
He couldn’t even remember the last time Audrey Hughes had called him.
"I need to take this," Shane Sterling said to Isla Prescott.
Isla Prescott, lying softly against him, nodded.
Shane Sterling didn’t try to hide the call from her, answering it directly with his arm still around her.
Audrey Hughes said something on the other end of the line, and Shane Sterling’s expression changed in an instant.
"I’ll be right there."
